20 - 26 December 2001
Issue No.565
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 20 - 26 December 2001 Issue No.565 |
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Calligraphy remembered
Scholars and masters debate whether it is a craft or an art form, but either way, Arabic calligraphy is an artistic tradition in need of a revival, as Rania Khallaf finds out
It is exactly 4.00p.m when we finally reach the heavily populated street in Bab El-Shariya district, in Old Cairo, where the Royal School for Calligraphy (madrasset tahseen el-khotout el- malakiya) is located. There was much marching up and down the street peering through doorways and windows before we finally came upon the school, nestled between a cluster of small shops and boutiques, most of which specialised in lanterns of all sizes and colours.
The school, once you find it, is dazzling: high gates and arches greet visitors, while examples of ornate calligraphy adorn the walls. Established by King Fouad in 1922, the school was the first of its kind, not only in Egypt, but in the Arab and Islamic world. "It boasted leading figures such as the Turkish masters Shiekh Mohamed Attiyah, Sayed Ibrahim and Radwan," recounts Hussein Amin, one of the school's senior professors. In the 1960s, the school was given the name of Khalil Agha, one of the king's subalterns who constructed the school, but today it is known as the Bab El-Shariya secondary school.
Silence reigned as we passed through the arches and into the school. We stumbled on three tutors instructing their classes, made up of around 10 students each, clustered around their instructors. The subdued atmosphere makes it difficult to imagine that this sprawling complex was once a beehive of activity. Today, calligraphy is an art studied by only a dedicated few. "Students who enrol in calligraphy schools today are those who can afford to study in the afternoon," notes Amin. In the morning, the school's premises are used by the public school system.
The Royal School was a pioneer. Some 80 years later, there are 222 calligraphy schools nationwide serving some 170,000 students. The numbers are impressive, but can be deceiving. None of these schools was originally established as an independent school of calligraphy and though Amin views the proliferation of schools as a positive sign, others have their doubts.
Musa'ad Khudeer, a senior calligrapher and himself a graduate of the school when it was still Khalil Agha, attributes the increase in demand for calligraphy schools to an old promise made by the Ministry of Education to employ graduates as calligraphy teachers in primary schools. Unfortunately, Khudeer explained, the demand has outlived the promise. The ministry initially installed a few graduates in primary schools, but has since left the rest to join the legion of unemployed.
Specialists may differ on the significance of how many schools there actually are, but everyone agrees that the status of Arabic calligraphy has diminished significantly over the years. Things were looking up for the craft in 1994, when, during the inauguration of the 60th Linguistic Convention, Minister of Education Hussein Kamel Bahaeddin announced that calligraphy would be a basic course in primary education. "But he did not keep his promise," complains Amin. "Calligraphy is not yet considered a main course [and is not] included in the final grade."
The debate about a marked deterioration in Arab handwriting traces back to 1940s, when Mohamed Hashem, one of the Royal School's teachers, published an article in the school's magazine lamenting the weak penmanship of primary school students. The article attributes poor handwriting skills to the limited number of calligraphy lessons students are required to take -- calligraphy is only taught in primary school -- and unqualified teachers. Though published in 1947, all of Hashem's concerns are still applicable today.
Professional calligraphers, once revered for their skill, do not enjoy the same economic benefits -- or even social standing -- they did in the past. "The wages of calligraphy teachers have stayed the same for dozens of years," laments Amin. "Can you imagine, with all my experience, I only earn LE5 per class -- which adds up to barely LE50 per month."
Concerned about the decline of his craft, Khudeer founded the Egyptian Society for Arabic Calligraphy. "The administrative board of the society, which was established six years ago, has called on the Ministry of Higher Education to establish a section for the calligraphic arts in the faculty of antiquities," says Khudeer. "This would help to curb the terrible mistakes we have seen made in the restoration of old mosques. But no one wants to listen." He added, "The Ministry of Culture holds regular festivals for every kind of art except for Arabic calligraphy. We'd like to know why we are being neglected."
Among its efforts to promote calligraphy, the Egyptian Society for Arabic Calligraphy is planning to publish a magazine, the first of its kind focusing on calligraphy. calledThe Art of Calligraphy . The first issue is expected to come out next month, Khudeer said, his smile optimistic.
Asked why he thought Arabic calligraphy is not given its due among the cultural arts, art critic Hassan Othman claims that it is because calligraphy is a static art, with little room for innovation. "Creativity here is limited to the development of the design of the letter itself, which performs a definite function," Othman explained. "Calligraphy is a craft more than an art," he argued, but he went on to insist that it should be taught in all the faculties of arts in Egypt. "Teaching calligraphy at the faculty of fine arts was stopped in the 1960s for no reason," he noted.
It is a shame when you consider not just the beauty of Arabic calligraphy, but its long history, which stretched back to the fifth and sixth century ad. The north Arabic script, which was influenced by the Nabatian script, flourished in the fifth century among the Arabian tribes who inhabited Hirah and Anbar. It spread to Hijaz, in western Arabia, and its use was popularised among the aristocracy of Qurayesh, the tribe of Prophet Mohamed, by Harb Ibn Ummayyah.
The rise of Islam in the seventh century gave birth to the art form as a way to decorate texts and buildings without reproducing images of the human form. Apart from the beautifully constructed mosques that Islam inspired throughout the world, Arabic calligraphy emerged as a major expressive art form.
Since several letters of the Arabic alphabet share the same shapes, and because vowels are not indicated, some reform was needed to avoid confusion. This need for clarity gave birth to the system of noqat (the dots distinguishing letters), and tashkeel (pronunciation marks). Abul-Aswad El-Du'ali, the legendary founder of Arabic grammar who died in 688, is credited with inventing the system of placing large coloured marks to indicate the tashkeel.
The Royal School currently offers two diplomas: a general four-year study programme and a two-year specialised diploma, after which graduates can work as professional calligraphers. The annual number of graduates averages around 72 for the first diploma, with about 14 completing the second. Amin points to the fact that fewer people pursue the second degree as an indication of its difficulty. An accomplished scholar himself, Amin was awarded the Certificate of Honour on Education Day by the late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser in 1964.
(Clockwise from top) Keeping the tradition alive: a professor at the once Royal School for Calligraphy in class; going over assignments; the graduating class and their professors the school year of 1946-1947
One of the most encouraging sites at calligraphy schools is the diverse student body. The schools are open to people of all ages and backgrounds and many of the schools' students come from Asian and African Islamic countries. Mahmoud El-Zahar is 62 and is currently a student in the second year at the Royal School. He joined the school as a way to fill up his free time after he retired. "Learning calligraphy is certainly better than wasting time in a café and playing chess," he quipped.
The styles of Arabic calligraphy currently in use are naskh, ruq'a, thuluth, and diwani. Among other courses, students generally learn only five styles of calligraphy, although there are 118 styles to chose from. The styles are divided into "dry" styles, the kufic, or the soft, cursive styles, which include naskh and thuluth.
In spite of language and cultural differences, students from Islamic regions around the world including Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia and Russia provide some healthy competition within the Royal School. Somali native Abdallah Shiekh says that in Somalia, calligraphy is used in architectural ornament in mosques only. "Though Somalia is an Arab country, there are hardly any calligraphy schools," he says. "I will go back to my country and establish the first school there."
The situation is quite different in Malaysia, which boasts a large number of professional calligraphers. But Malaysian student Khudeer Mohamed says he still found it difficult to study Arabic calligraphy there. "With the help of my masters here, things are getting easier," he said.
Mohamed Abdel-Hakim, from Indonesia, says that even though the Arabic language is hardly understood in his country, you can find calligraphic pieces used as decoration in houses, mosques and Islamic schools. "Though we have a calligraphers union, I wish a larger organisation for Arabic calligraphy could be established -- one that includes calligraphers from all Islamic countries," says Abdel-Hakim. "Such an organisation could be used as a tool to bring the international community closer to the Islamic identity," he added.
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